Profile of Plant Cell Editor Keiko Sugimoto

Keiko Sugimoto, an Editor of The Plant Cell, was recently profiled by her undergraduate institution.

Read more about The Plant Cell Editorial Board here.

“At the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, the research team I lead as a Principal Investigator (PI) focuses on the two themes of “development” and “regeneration.” “Development” focuses on the process in which seeds germinate and develop leaves and flowers, while “regeneration” looks into how plants repair themselves when they get injured. What is very interesting is that plants have overwhelmingly high capacity for regeneration compared to us humans and other animals. Taking dandelions for example, they can even develop leaves from a root, which are entirely different tissues. We take it as our mission to save the world from resource depletion and food shortage by creating plants that are stronger and have a higher regenerative capacity by understanding the mechanisms of development and regeneration.”

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Keiko Sugimoto is Group Leader at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science in Japan. She received a BSc degree from the International Christian University in Japan, a MSc from Osaka University and a PhD from The Australian National University. She was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the John Innes Centre. She is an expert in plant development and has conducted pioneering work on genes determining cell size in plants. The Sugimoto group currently uses genetic and genomic approaches to studying the control of cell proliferation, differentiation and dedifferentiation in Arabidopsis.

Areas of expertise
Cell differentiation / specialization, cell expansion, cell morphogenesis, cell proliferation, cell dedifferentiation, cellular reprogramming, leaf / vegetative development, meristem development.

Editorial experience
Plant Cell, Reviewing Editor (2008-); Cell Reports, Editorial Board Member (2012-); Plant and Cell Physiology, Editorial Board Member (2009-2012); Genes to Cells, Editorial Board Member (2009-); Frontiers in Plant Development, Editorial Board Member (2011-); Journal of Plant Research, Editorial Board Member (2005-2008); Peer J Editorial Board Member (2012-).
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Honors and awards include
Young Scientist Award, Japan Society of Plant Physiologists; BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship; JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad; Best Poster Prize, Gordon Research Conferences on Plant Cell Wall; Best Student Poster Prize, ASPP-ASBMB Meeting; Australian National University PhD Scholarship; CRC for Plant Science PhD Scholarship.